Davis Brown Immigration Law Blog

Iowa Immigration Law Blog - May 21, A Historic Day for Immigration Reform - The First of Many? - May 22, 2013

Last night the Senate Judiciary Committee voted (bipartisan 13-5) to pass Bill 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act for vote on the Senate floor. A vote is expected in early June.

The Committee (of which Sen. Charles Grassley, R-IA, is a member), considered 300 amendments from the initial “Gang of Eight” draft.

We are working through the bill (800+ pages) and will provide analysis over the next several days. But from my reading of the bill summaries, watching the Committee debates, visiting with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., and talking with national advocates that are closely involved in the process, my belief is that it is a good bill overall and should pass the Senate.

However, those interested in having the best reform possible cannot breathe easily. Many of the amendments that were voted down in Committee will come back on the Senate floor. Some of those amendments are deal-killers or would significantly weaken the bill.

And then there is the House of Representatives...we’ll leave that story for another day.

At this point, those of us who have watched the inadequacies of the current system work their harm in so many ways need to take moment to acknowledge and celebrate that we are closer right now to real reform than we have been in more than a decade.

Watch this space for how the Senate proposal would change the law and affect your case or your business.